Eli had been her maker and he’d been strong, so he’d controlled Emma completely. It wasn’t until his death that she had been free to go where she wanted. So she’d come to Las Vegas because there were a lot of other vampires here.

“Did you ever meet Eli’s master? I asked the demon, but it wouldn’t or couldn’t say.”

“I know I must have because Eli took me everywhere with him, but I don’t remember him. Eli told me his master was afraid of the Mohiri torturing the information out of a vampire. So he compelled everyone to forget him. Except Eli.” She sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I wish I could be more help after all you’ve done for me.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was a long shot anyway.”

Emma got off the bed and went to look out the window. “I had a little sister, Marie. She was ten when I disappeared. I guess that would make her thirty-one.” She leaned her forehead against the glass and I saw her shoulders shake. “My baby sister is almost twice my age now. She’s probably married with children and I’m still seventeen.”

“I’m sorry, Emma. I wish...”

“I know,” she said softly. “You gave me back my life. I should be happy with that.”

“It’s okay to not be happy right now. But someday you will be. And if you want, we can find out where your sister is and how she’s doing. Your parents too.”

She came back to sit on the bed. “You can do that?”

I let out a small laugh. “Not me, but I have a few friends who can find almost anyone.”

“I’d like that.” Her eyes took on a faraway look, and I knew she was thinking about her family and her old life.

“Do you want to talk about them?”

She nodded sadly.

We talked for hours. She told me about her family and friends and growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina. I told her about my dad and Nate and my friends. When I described New Hastings she got a wistful look in her eyes and said she’d always wanted to live near the ocean. Every summer her family would rent a house for two weeks in Virginia Beach, and it had been her favorite place to go.

We had more than our love of the ocean in common. Emma’s favorite hobby had been painting, and she’d even hoped to study art in college. I’d dabbled in painting at one point, but drawing was my thing, even though I hadn’t done much of it lately. I found a pencil and a notepad and drew her as we talked about everything from art supplies to our favorite subjects. I mostly did drawings of people I knew and creatures I’d met. She preferred landscapes, especially the coast.

At noon Jordan arrived with sandwiches. For dinner, she brought us plates of chicken and pasta. After each meal, I stacked the plates on the table in the hall, and Emma and I continued talking.

By nine o’clock that night, Emma began to show signs of fatigue. I convinced her to try to get some sleep, and told her I’d be close by if she needed me. I left her room, rubbing my tired eyes, and found Nikolas in the hall waiting for me. Wordlessly, I walked into his arms and hugged him tightly. All day I’d been strong for Emma, but with Nikolas, I could let my guard down and show the toll today had taken on me. He held me and rubbed my back as I cried quietly into his shirt.

The next morning, Emma was in better shape, emotionally and physically. Jordan went out with Chris to buy a few changes of clothes for us, and Emma was more comfortable once she’d cleaned up and put on fresh clothing.

After lunch, she agreed to talk to Chris about her knowledge of the vampire comings and goings in Las Vegas. I’d asked Chris to talk to her because he was more easygoing and less intimidating than the other warriors. I sat with them as he questioned her about vampire numbers and locations of nests. At first she was hesitant until we assured her that none of the things she’d done as a vampire would make us think less of her. She did not remember who the Master was, but she knew a lot about the vampire activity here, and she shared it all with us.

When the interview was over, Chris gave her a warm smile. “Thank you, Emma. I know that had to be very difficult for you. The information you gave us will help save a lot of lives.”

“I’m glad,” she replied timidly, looking like a tiny bit of the guilt she carried had been lifted from her shoulders.

That evening Nikolas took me aside and told me we were leaving Las Vegas in the morning. The Mohiri were sending more teams into the city in a coordinated attack on the vampires, based on the information we’d gotten from Emma. Nikolas didn’t want me or Jordan anywhere near the city when that happened.

“What about Emma? We have to take her with us.”

“I talked to Tristan about her, and he said she is welcome at Westhorne if she wants to come with us.”

I hugged him so hard he laughed. When I asked about Oscar and our things in California, he said Raoul was taking care of everything.

I went to tell Emma the news. She wasn’t as excited as I was, and I knew it was because she was afraid of being around that many Mohiri after spending the last two decades as our mortal enemy. It took a lot of persuasion to get her to agree to give it a shot since I couldn’t tell her exactly where we were going until we got there. I told her how beautiful and safe it was there, and that she could leave whenever she wanted. I made sure she knew it was her choice and whatever she decided, I’d still help her. Finally, she gave me a small smile and said she would go with us.

When we boarded the Mohiri jet the next day, I was so excited about going home I could barely sit still. The four warriors who had come from California with us were staying on in Vegas, so it was just me, Nikolas, Jordan, Chris, and Emma on the plane. Even when the pilot told us there would be a short delay because of air traffic, it couldn’t dampen my mood. In a few hours I’d see Nate, Tristan, and Desmund. I couldn’t wait to see Sahir and hug Hugo and Woolf.